The history about our Children's village
In 2006, the implementation of the idea to give orphans in Kenya a life began. The initiator Dr. Michael Fretter founded the German UPENDO Children's Village in April 2006 and started looking for a suitable plot of land in Kenya. His vision was not only to build an orphanage, but to create a loving home for the children in a large community - an orphan village, today: Children's village. In order to realize his heart's project, it was necessary to establish a foundation in Kenya. In 2007 Gerd Blanke, Dr. Michael Fretter, Simone Blanke, Martina Wackerhagen and Uwe Kaiser established the charitable foundation. This enabled the purchase of a plot of land and the construction of the orphan village UPENDO Children's Village.
On the following pages you can learn more about the german sponsoring association UPENDO Children’s Village e.V. as well as about the Kenyan Trust Foundation UPENDO Village Trust Foundation.
The German Association
- founded 07. April 2006, ca. 136 members (Status: April 2024)
- 1. Chairman: Carsten Vetters
- 2. Chairman: Hendrik Dusny
UPENDO Children’s Village e. V. (UCV) is a German development association that has built an Children’s village in Ukunda/Kenya and would like to provide sustainable support through personal, professional and financial assistance. The idea is to give children and young people there a permanent home, to provide them with a school education and to prepare them for an independent life. The UCV is legally registered in the register of associations at the district court of Charlottenburg under VR-Nr. 28989 B, pursues exclusively charitable purposes and is classified as particularly worthy of support by the tax office for corporations I in Berlin because of the promotion of development cooperation in Africa. The purpose of the statutes is realized by financial means, which are made available to the association by membership fees or donations. Currently we have about 136 members. These funds may only be made available to charitable institutions in Kenya. The Kenyan operating company of the UPENDO Children’s village, which implements our visions on site, is the UPENDO Village Trust Foundation. The association works selflessly and does not pursue any economic purposes of its own. You can download the complete statutes here: Download Statutes.
Goals and principles
- We show socially disadvantaged young people in Kenya perspectives.
- We accompany them on their way and motivate them to shape their own future. their own future.
- We create a home as a protective outer framework for a "family" and a "family" and use role models to convey values such as charity, honesty, gratitude, respect and a sense of responsibility.
- Our goal is to enable the UPENDO community to live a self-determined and secure life.
- With our commitment we make a contribution to positively support the society of Kenya in the long run.
- In our orphanage village, children, youth and staff should feel comfortable.
- If possible, brothers and sisters are not separated.
- The children are given the opportunity to attend school (including private schools) and, if school) and, if necessary, vocational training.
- Children and adolescents assigned by the authorities are accepted. These include girls and boys without parents, but also socially disadvantaged children or those with health restrictions who do have parents, or at least mother or father, but who do not fulfill their educational obligations. their educational mandate.
- In family togetherness, the assumption of responsibility, trust
In family togetherness, the assumption of responsibility, trust, taking and giving as well as respect for fellow human beings are learned.
UPENDO Children’s Village e. V.
c/o gpc GmbH
Kantstraße 129
10625 Berlin
1. Chairman: Carsten Vetters
2. Chairman: Hendrik Dusny
Phone: +49 30 69537690
E-Mail: info@ucv-ukunda.com
Your contact – our UPENDO project manager:
Clara Ramos da Silva Stiefel
+49 173 6939145
The Kenyan Foundation
- founded on 12. January 2007 in Ukunda/Diani Beach, Kenia
- Acts as a non-profit operating company of the orphan village
- Chairlady Terry Gitai und Board of Trustees: Hendrik Dusny, Christoph Kissel, Uwe Kaiser, Carsten Vetters, Peter Gitai, Purity Wawira
The UPENDO Village Trust Foundation is a non-profit operating company and was founded on 12.01.2007 in Ukunda/Kenya by Gerd Blanke, Dr. Michael Fretter, Simone Blanke, Martina Wackerhagen and Uwe Kaiser. The aim of the Kenyan foundation is to get as many children as possible off the streets, thereby reducing child poverty and instead leading well-educated young adults back into the community in order to make a positive contribution to the development of society as a whole in the long term. With the establishment of the orphanage village UPENDO Children’s Village as well as their maintenance and operation together with affiliated cooperations with school and educational institutions we fulfill our vision to give a home and a future to the children and youth entrusted to us. The complete statutes of the UPENDO Village Trust Foundation can be downloaded here: Statutes UVT.
UPENDO Village Trust Foundation
P.O. BOX 1622
80400 UKUNDA, KENYA
The Board of Trustees currently includes (in alphabetical order):
Hendrik Dusny, Peter Gitahi, Terry Gitahi, Uwe Kaiser, Christoph Kissel, Justus Munyithia, Carsten Vetters
Inquiries can be answered gladly via the German support association.
Phone: +49 30 69537690
E-Mail: info@ucv-ukunda.com